Here at Just Say Glow, we call our work “exfoliation for your life.” In his article “The Clean Slate Guide to Simplicity,” Jeffrey Tang puts some concrete steps and strategies out there for how you can “try on” a blank slate without literally ditching everything already in your life first!
Here is an excerpt:
When you’re forced to choose to keep or discard something, uncertainty rears its ugly head. “Can you really afford to throw this away?” it whispers. “Are you sure you won’t need it eventually? Sure, you’re on a simplification kick now – but will you regret it later?” Playing the willpower game with uncertainty gets exhausting.
Simplifying Backwards is Easier
If you’re having trouble deciding when to hold on to something and when to let it go, try doing things backward. Learn to add responsibly instead of subtracting.
I call it the clean-slate approach to simplifying. Here’s how it works, in three steps.
Step one: Take all the clutter you’re facing, useful or not, and put it away. All of it. Put the pile of clothes in a box; put the old emails in a hidden folder. Now you have a “clean slate” to work with, but you don’t have to throw anything away. Yet.
Step two: Go about your business as usual. As you discover a genuine need for something (genuine being the operative word), take it out of storage with a clear conscience. No more agonizing over what to keep. Life will show exactly which things you actually need, and which things you only thought you needed.
Step three: When you’re ready, sell, donate, or throw away the stuff in storage. It’s easier now, since you’ve had weeks or months to overcome your attachment to it.
And here’s a bonus: if you develop the discipline to only put stuff back in your life when you absolutely, positively need it, you’ll find it easier to keep from buying, collecting, or accumulating unnecessary stuff in the first place.
Read the whole article here:
http://zenhabits.net/clean-slate/
We tend to think a lot about things we wish we had, we anticipate getting new things, we love shopping and so on. Yet I have never heard anyone complain that their closet is too spacious or too empty nor that any empty shelves, drawers, or days on the calendar cause feelings other than joy! We resist letting things go… getting rid of things. Why do we live with this dichotomy, so attached to what we have yet focused on bringing in more?
Do you have any tips on how to get over the hurdle of mental uncertainty and “what if i need it someday” mindset so we can truly rid ourselves of the excesses in our lives? Or maybe for increasing contentment with what we have so at least we stop acquiring and adding to the piles??
Let us know what you do to help contain the chaos and what you think about Jeffrey’s ideas!
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